Music Festival 2020

MUSIC FESTIVAL

2020STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS

SOPHIE ANDREOU, MUSIC CAPTAIN & GABRIELLA SPOSARI, PERFORMING ARTS CAPTAIN

2019-2020

MUSIC FESTIVAL

THIS YEAR, WE MADE HISTORY WITH OUR FIRST EVER VIRTUAL MUSIC FESTIVAL. OUR MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTS CAPTAINS REFLECT ON WHAT MADE THE EVENT SO UNIQUE.

The Music Festival is one of the biggest annual community events on the Loreto Normanhurst calendar. This celebration of the talent and spirit of our Normo girls is always one of joy and laughter (as well as some House competition!). The theme for this year's Music Festival was incredibly fitting; “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants.” It draws on the legacy that builds and strengthens our Loreto community and reflects the way music acts as a timeless portrayal of joy, strength and unity. It was especially relevant to our community this year. The way we overcame the challenges we faced became our legacy! The lead-up to the 2020 Music Festival was like any other, filled with House spirit, head-banging tunes and the occasional wrong note. Each rehearsal was greatly enjoyed by the girls and each choir had soon mastered their songs, eager to show off the hard work of their conductors and accompanists. However, the fast-paced changes caused by the pandemic postponed what has become a staple at Normo. We quickly began brainstorming ways in which we could ensure that the Music Festival could happen and came up with ‘couch choirs.’ The phrase was new to us this year but is now firmly embedded in our vocabulary. It refers to the creation of virtual choirs by stitching together audio and visual recordings of individual girls singing from home, thus keeping to social distancing requirements. The true spirit of our girls shone through and the virtual choirs still shared the same joyful essence as House choirs on a typical Music Festival night. We were thrilled to virtually host the night and it was super exciting to record the script like news readers in the Reception Room, with a teleprompter and lighting! While we weren’t able to stand next to each other at the lectern on the International Convention Centre stage, we still made sure to celebrate such an incredible event at home. Along with many other families and alumni around Australia and even overseas, we both held small Music Festival parties as we watched the live stream from home, complete with House-coloured decorations and snacks.

As Music Captain and Performing Arts Captain, we worked as a team alongside Ms O’Dwyer, Music Festival Coordinator, as well as music and drama staff, to reimagine both the ‘behind-the-scenes’ work and what would be on stage that night. This year our main role was encouraging the participation of every single girl in the virtual experience and supporting the resilient and talented conductors and accompanists during this time. We learned so much about the importance of teamwork, resilience and optimism during this time and feel incredibly lucky and proud to have been part of such an experience. It did indeed hold so much of the typical Music Festival spirit and magic, despite us not physically being together. The Music Festival event contributed nearly $50,000 to our School’s Bursary Fund, and we wish to thank those who generously donated in lieu of a ticket in support of Loreto families in necessitous circumstances.